Walker Signs Mascot Bill, But Says He Personally Would 'Change These Mascots'

Friday, December 20, 2013, 11:50am

By Shawn Johnson

Share:

Governor Scott Walker has signed into law a plan that will make it easier for school districts to keep Native American mascots.

Wisconsin's tribal leaders had asked Walker to veto the plan, arguing the mascots are racist and psychologically harmful to Native American youth. The governor says he listened to their concerns.

Walker: “If I could personally take care of this, I'd go and change these mascots and these nicknames because I have great empathy for the concern they have. By the same token, I just think from a free speech standpoint — granted, it's not individuals, it's collectively a school district, so it's a collection of individuals — that free speech shouldn't be limited to just speech we agree with.”

The bill mostly overturns a law passed by Democrats in 2010 that put the burden of proof on school districts to prove a mascot was not racist if the state received a single complaint. Republicans called that a “flawed law,” and applauded the governor's signature. State schools Superintendent Tony Evers said he was disappointed, adding, “the children of Wisconsin are not served well when legislation makes it more difficult for citizens to object to discrimination.”

Commenting Policy

Wisconsin Public Radio and WPR.org welcome civil, on-topic comments and opinions that advance the discussion from all perspectives of an issue. Comments containing outside links (URLs) will only be posted after they’ve been approved by a moderator. WPR.org will delete comments that violate our guidelines. Visit our social media guidelines for more information about these policies.